The Hanging Tree
by Kyra Spring
Summary: Strange things happened in the so-called hanging tree. And for those, Feliciano would be forever grateful, because without them, he would never meet the one he loved most. Spin-off for Auf Wiedersehen Sweetheart, focused on chapter 15, and based in the song The Hanging Tree, from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.


_**N/A: You know a fanfic is great when it deserves fanfics based on it. Geez, we really needed to make a petition for this to be published in a book.**_

_**And sorry, it's a piece of crap and it doesn't make justice to anything. At all.**_

_**So, this is inspired by a scene from Chapter 15. The song here is The Hanging Tree, from Mockingjay (third book of The Hunger Games series). I haven't read it yet, but my sister had. And she found a fan arrangement for that song that is simply breathtaking. Please, listen.**_

_**The same goes for the fanfiction. READ IT. If you haven't yet, read it.**_

_**Link to the song at Youtube: **__**v=uKrCE1aYz7o**_

_**DISCLAIMER: Auf Wiedersehen Sweetheart doesn't belong to me at all. This story is a tribute to my favorite fanfiction, and I don't want, by any means, claim the original universe of it as my creation. The Hetalia characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya.**_

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That was a well-known story in his village. Almost like a urban legend, except that there wasn't anything nearly to "urban" in that place. A story about an old tree, in the middle of a field, in which people used to be hanged, years and years ago. So many people died in that tree, that it slowly became filled with the dead people's feelings. Anger, regret, fear… Not as a curse, but as a sort of spell.

And Feliciano had to admit, there was something slightly supernatural about that tree.

He didn't believe that, of course. It would be silly. Souls went to Heaven or Hell when people died. They didn't stay around to haunt people, and they definitely didn't stay around an old tree. But… there was something special. Yes.

Memories. Too many memories. Memories from all places, but somehow concentrated in that tree. Why…? He didn't know for sure. But being there always gave him a bittersweet feeling. And bittersweet feelings were better than nothing.

In that day, there were a few children playing near the tree. They were singing a song he knew from his childhood. In that time, he haven't noticed how dark that song was. He didn't realize its true meaning. But now…

…but now…

He only closed his eyes, feeling the sun in his face, and let them be, listening from a distance. Children should be allowed to play. They shouldn't have anything else to worry about, not yet, not now. And he would.

_Are you, are you_  
_Coming to the tree_  
_Where they strung up a man they say murdered three?_  
_Strange things did happen here_  
_No stranger would it seem_  
_If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree._

He wanted to ask them, for a moment, what were those "strange things", but they wouldn't have an answer to him anyway. No. Feliciano already knew that.

Strange things did happen there.

Strange… _magic_… a little bit of everything.

He let his mind drift for a while, looking for those memories. Lazy afternoons spent there, as the days simply passed by. It would be nice, wouldn't it… just living like that forever… with no worries… only the simple things of life.

But it wouldn't. Hanging trees were cursed. Nothing coming from that could live.

_Are you, are you_

_Coming to the tree_

_Where the dead man called out for his love to flee?_

_Strange things did happen here_

_No stranger would it seem_

_If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree._

Cursed…?

No.

Not cursed. Their fate could be dark, but it wasn't a curse. Because they did love each other, right?

No, no… he couldn't say that in the past. Feliciano still loved Ludwig, and he would love the other until the last day of his life. That was a stated fact, beyond any questioning. And he believed Ludwig loved him too. Perhaps… if he was really gone… that feeling might have made his last days a little easier.

_If he was gone_… logic said there wasn't "ifs" about it. What were the chances, anyway? Feliciano didn't even dare to imagine the living hell the Russian front was. Judging by what the others said, it was the end point to anyone. Physically, mentally…

And he was too tired to force himself to believe. Tired even to _think_ about it.

_Are you, are you_

_Coming to the tree_

_Where I told you to run, so we'd both be free?_

_Strange things did happen here_

_No stranger would it seem_

_If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree_.

The third part of the song took him to that last night. The one and only night in which they belonged to each other and to no one else. That rainy, cold, stormy night that was the most perfect moment of his life. Now it seemed so distant… but he remembered each second.

…they had their last freedom moment. The freedom they found in each other's arms.

Or, at least, the freedom Feliciano found in Ludwig's arms. He wanted to believe it was the same for the other, but now… he had no means to know.

If he could feel, if he allowed himself to feel, that would probably be the moment when his eyes filled with tears. But he couldn't, anymore. Any feeling would just be too painful for him. He limited himself to carry on, trying not to think much about things, doing what he was supposed to do. Functioning. Breathing. Existing. But not living.

It wasn't freedom. It was like Feliciano became a prisoner of himself.

But for that night… it was worth. And he would never regret that moment.

_Are you, are you_

_Coming to the tree_

_Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me…_

_Strange things did happen here_

_No stranger would it seem_

_If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree._

If only he knew what was a necklace of rope, when he learnt that song…

He thought about that a few times. Not really considering the possibility, he knew it would upset his brother and his grandfather too much, and he already caused too much pain for both. And it would be like giving up. He didn't have the right of giving up yet.

Ludwig would hate him. He would hate himself. He would feel too weak.

But it was tempting, of course. Just a few seconds of pain… and then, silence. Not having to run away from memories, to try and ignore feelings, to live with the constant image of the person he loved being gone for good. No more dealing with the fact that he didn't know that for sure.

But he wouldn't. Not because he expected something would change, but because he would have to learn. Dealing with that, day by day. And, maybe, one day, he would carry on. Not forgetting, like the others wanted, but… let it all go.

…but he was sure he shouldn't lose hope. Not yet. Even if he didn't know why.

The voices stopped, but Feliciano didn't open his eyes again. He only stayed there, closed eyes, a lot of things in his mind at once.

Until that person appeared. That man, walking towards him. Someone he didn't know.

Someone who, without even knowing, would bring the answer he wanted most.

Yes… strange things _did_ happen there.

Maybe the myth was real, then. Maybe there was something supernatural about that tree.

Or maybe… they created the myth itself.

A love story under a tree. A doomed love story. Who could even know…?

He wouldn't even try. Instead, he only nodded at the man, listening to his own name.

_"…Feliciano Vargas…?"_

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_**N/A: So... that's it. I don't think there's anything else to add here. I hope you liked. Reviews are welcome and really appreciated! Thanks a lot for reading! :D**_


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